News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-03-17
THE OWNER OF REST VALLEY.
Curious Life History of an ex-COngress-
mans Daughter.

CANTERBURY, N. H.-The last and
strangest chapter in al the career of the
late Mrs. Lizzie H. Monmouth, who died
recently in this town, has just come to
light AS is well known, she was the
daughter of the late Congressman
Harper, the widow of Col. Monmouth,
of Texas, an author of ability, and an
eccentric person generally. She was
best known to the public in her later
years by her public services in the
Worsted church at Hill s Corner, near
the Shaker village, and through the
quaintness of her artistic home, known
as Rest Valley, in the centre village of
the town. Years ago she gave out thai
she had lost through a clergyman to
whom she conided her business affairs
nearly all of a handsome property which
she had inherited from her father. She
managed, however, to retain her humble
home and a wood lot of few acres.
Then she began what she called her
struggle with poverty. Persons VINO
had known her in prosperity felt great
interest in her and gave her food and
clothing generously. For years she
lived III a chamber, refusing to see or
speak to any one excepting a few init
mate friends. She remarked to a neigh
Dor that if the public did not wish her
to starve she would accept any offerings
of provisions that mig t be rendered.
Her way of receiving gifts was as fol
lows: She would, unseen, let down a
rope from her chamber window, and
when persons brought L err presents they
would attach them to the end of the
line, and after their departure Mrs Mon
mouth would lift by the rope into her
chamber what had been deposited for
her outside.
She kept along in this way for con
siderable time her friends and what
few relatives she had being anxious that
she should not become public charge
She wrote pamphlet that a friend got
published for her entitled Giving on
Half Dime Day." in which she re
lated how there had been times in which
she had lived with daily expense for
food of only five cents. She wrote that
she was "a woman with broken health
and broken fortune" At length she
conceived the idea of decorating her
house with paper Communications and
notices, and by much skill and labor
she made her home so wonderfully at
tractive that it became famous with the
pu lie, especially with many summer
visitors from Boston and vicinity.
Through the efforts of the latter numer-
Gus Boston merchants sent Mrs Mon
mouth as gifts large packages of sample
wall papers and odd window shades
She charged a small admittance to ex-
anime her house, which in the warm
season would bring her some ready
Finally age and disease untitled
her to tate care of herself, and a few
months ago kind ne1ghbor carried her
to the house of niece in Loudon, where
she had the kindest of care, but died
soon afterward.
The strange part of her history lies in
the fact that a will which has been
found and probated proves that instead
of being in poverty she left handsome
property. She bequeaths to one rcla
tive $1,000, to several others $500
apiece, to still more smaller sums, and
to the Women's Benevolent Society con-
nected with the Baptist church in Can
terbury 5000. Her home and wood lot
also 60 to relatives, and what IS re
property sufficient is found
to meet all her requests, and, as a gen
tleman from Canterbury remarked, I've
don't know how much more will turn
up